66 NOVEMBER 2020
TRAVELT’S A SCORCHING DAY in the Swartland in early
January—104°F, one of the hottest of the year—but wine-
maker Adi Badenhorst isn’t troubled by the heat. “I love
this weather,” he roars over the blues music pounding
through the cellar at his winery. A few minutes later,
sipping an espresso as we both seek refuge in the barrel
room, sweat dripping from our brows, he adds: “It’s challenging
to farm here. It’s dry, hot; the yields are low, but you can make
wine with immense character.”
The Swartland (from the Afrikaans for “black land,” due to
the native rhinoceros bush that covers the landscape and turns
black after rain) is located about an hour north of Cape Town.
It’s more low-key than the Cape’s better-known wine regions,
like Stellenbosch, but has gained recognition in recent times
not only for its concentrated old-vine Chenin Blanc but also for
a growing contingent of charismatic, independent winemakers
producing innovative natural wines (mostly textured Chenins
and Rhône varietals). One of the advantages of the brutally hot
conditions is an absence of pests, minimizing the need for
chemicals and pesticides—ideal for natural winemaking. “The
terrific climate means there’s very little disease pressure,” says
Andrea Mullineux, winemaker at Mullineux & Leeu, whose
expressive wines are a part of this new scene.
The area—a dramatic landscape of undulating flaxen hills
lined with wheat fields and tangled vineyards punctuated by
the jagged Paardeberg mountain—has also gained popularity as
a weekend destination for Capetonians. The region’s anchor
town of Riebeek Kasteel in the Riebeek Valley dates back to the
early 1900s. Its quiet streets are flanked with beautifully restored
cream-toned Victorian buildings that house art galleries and
antique shops, and visitors come to taste wine and olive oil at
specialty stores like The Wine Kollective and Olive Boutique.
(The Swartland is one of the top olive-producing regions in
South Africa.) In the evenings, when it’s often cool enough for
a light, long-sleeved shirt, diners crowd the broad veranda at
The Royal Hotel for icy gin and tonics in oversized glasses.
It’s in the past 15 years that the region and its wines have
really garnered acclaim, as much for perfecting old-vine Chenin
Blanc as for the willingness of the region’s mavericks to experi-
ment with lesser-known varietals like Cinsaut and Pinot Gris.
“A lot of the individuals here are characters—self-made with
self-made wines—who you wouldn’t find anywhere else in the
world,” says founder of The Sadie Family Wines Eben Sadie,
one of the first independent winemakers to move here in 1997.Swartland winemakers like Adi Badenhorst, Andrea and
Chris Mullineux from Mullineux & Leeu, and Callie Louw of
Porseleinberg follow a core set of values—wine is made with
minimal manipulation and is vinified, bottled, and aged within
the region—and they are largely responsible for revolutionizing
wine in the Swartland. Badenhorst notes that the winemakers,
who are all friends, foster a good community. “What’s important
is the diversity and individuality of producers. [These days]
there’s no barrier to entry. You can get a barrel from a friend
and make wine.”
It’s this convivial environment that makes the Swartland
an ideal place for young winemakers to get a foothold in the
industry–even if they can’t afford to buy land, they can still
set up a winery and purchase grapes from nearby farms. Plus,
the established winemakers are quick to promote the nextIPHOTOGRAPHY^ (FROMLEFT):^ PETERALEXANDER/ALAMY,^DANAALLEN^
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